Doodle Science - June 2014

The blue sky and some little clouds. Blue because of how light diffracts, clouds because of ice crystals high up, cumulus I think... and a contrail too. If it is not raining, look up.

Great Dates in Sci and Tech for June

1st 1846 Le Verrier predicts the existence and location of Neptune from looking a irregularities of the orbit of Uranus.
3rd 1769 On Tahiti James Cook observes the transit of Venus. This was one of the "Big Science " events of its time and was able to provide information that allowed the calculation of the size of the solar system.
5th 1683 The First university museum opens as the Ashmolean opens its doors.
15th 763 BC Solar eclipse in Mesopotamia is recorded and provides and anchor for chronology and calendars
18th 1858 Darwin gets a letter from Wallace detailing natural selection, he finally gets on with publishing "On the Origin of Species"
21st This year. Mid summer solstice, the longest day and shortest night in the northern hemisphere.
23rd 2006 A tortoise possibly collected by Darwin dies. Harriet was about 175 years old.
26th 1948 Shockley filed the patent for the transistor, almost all electronics we use today dates back to this.
30th 1905 Einstein published the first work on Special Relativity.

Something to try. Eggciting

Take two fresh eggs. Place them in a jar of vinegar.
Over the next few days the shells will dissolve and you will be left with just the membrane around the whites and yolks.
So much, so much of a surprise.
Now for the clever bit, the one and put it into pure clean water, tap water will do and the other into water that you have dissolved as much sugar as it can take into. Over the next few days the one in just water will expand as the contents of the egg absorb water through osmosis and it will get considerably larger. the one in the sugar will have the opposite happen as water moves into the sugar solution and it will shrink. A nice one to set up an watch.
Health and safety: Don't eat the eggs, or drink the solutions and remember to wash your hands. Catch Some Wild Yeast